Improvements boxes for the toes of boots and shoes



u. H. PACKARD.

B'oxes for thvToes of Boots and Shoes. N0,148,320 ParemedMarchmnaM.

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En STATES ATE FFIOE.

DAviS H. PACKARD, or NORTH BRIDGHWATEH, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT'IN BOXES FOR THE TOES OF vBOOTS AND SHOES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 148,320, dated March 10, 1874; application filed September 10, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVIS' H. PACKARD, of North Bridgewater, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Box for the Toes of Boots and Shoes, of which the following is a specification:

In the accompanying; drawing, Figure 1 denotes a top, Fig. 2 a side, and Fig. 3 a rear, elevation of a box constructed in accordance with my invention.

I am aware that box-toes for boots and shoes have been made of vulcanized india-V rubber, and also of rubber intermixed with a fibrous material, and both shaped and formed in a heated mold; but such are objectionable, not only on account ofrtheir cost and the unpleasant odor they emit when exposed to thermal influence, but also on account of their liabilit-y to collapse when thus exposed. The object of my invention is to remedy these ob jections, and produce a cheaper and better molded article than heretofore used; and my invention consists in an improved manufacture of box-toe, as maderof leather-board, having' the peculiar shape shown in the accompanying drawing, and rendered waterproof, as hereinafter described. Box-toes for boots and shoes, as heretofore employed, whether made of leather by manual labor or formed of rubber, or rubber intermixed with a fibrous material and shaped in a mold, have been made with a toe-fastening iiange and two side ones. Such toe-flange is objectionable, not only on account of the extra amount of stock required in producing the same, but also on account of the labor and Skill involved in lasting the toe part of the upper when such is employed. Another objection to such is the clumsy appearance they give to the boot or shoe when nished.

. In forming my improved article orbox, I

dispense with the toe flange or overlap, as I find it entirely unnecessary, and make the front of the box so that, when applied to the upper, and the latter is drawn over the last and insole, it shall extend down only ush with the outer surface of such sole, so that the lasting or drawing in of .the toe portion of the upper is as easy as if no box were used,

while, at the Same time, it imparts a neat and graceful appearance to the toe of the boot.

In carrying out my invention, I form the box of what is terme-l leather-board, or flctitious leather, and first stamp out, by means of a die, from a sheet thereof, a blank of the shape as shown in Fig. 4, and bevel or reduce the saine on its inner edge. This blank is next put into a heated mold, and formed into the shape as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, in which A denotes thebody of the box, and a a, its laps or fastening-flanges. The box thus formed I next render water-proof, as it better resists the tendency of moisture to warp and bend it out of shape. To effect this, I immerse the box in a bath of paraftine in a heated state, in which it is suffered to remain for a few minutes, until it becomes completely saturated, when it is taken out and dried.

I do not claim shaping an article by means of a mold and heat, as I am aware that such is not new; nor do I claim a molded box-toe, irrespective of the material of which it is made, and the shape given thereto.

What I claim as my invention is As an improved article of manufacture, a molded box-toe for boots and shoes, when formed of leather-board, water-proofed, and having the form as Shown and described.

DAVIS H. PACKARD.

Witnesses F. P. HALE, F. G. HALE. 

